This Must Be Love: Jerome and Mara
by XxLikeANinjaaxX
Summary: No matter how hard he tries to deny it, Jerome knows the truth: he is in love with Mara Jaffary. Will he be able to tell her before it is too late?
1. Chapter 1: Crushed

**Heyy! So this is my first fanfiction and I'm pretty nervous! I'm not sure whether to write more or not, so please help me out here! Here's the first chapter, please review and tell me if I should make any more! Thanks (:**

_Chapter 1: Crushed_

_Jerome's POV_

I'm in love with her. Everything about her. Her smile, her laugh, her eyes, her hair. Her. She makes me feel... different, the kind of different I've never felt with any other girl. With her I feel like there's hope for me. Like I'm not a totally rotten waste of life. She brings out the best in me.

And I'll never get to tell her.

I know it's for the best. Even as I look at her now, looking like an angel with her head on Mick's shoulder, I know the truth. Mara's in love with Mick. She would never love me.

In my head I try to tell myself it's for the best. Mara deserves someone way better than a freak like me. Still, my heart can never shake the feeling: the feeling that I am totally, completely, hopelessly in love with Mara Jaffary, and we are meant to be together. My heart tells me it's destiny.

My head tells me I've gone mentally insane.

"Is something the matter, Jerome?" her voice wakes me out of my reverie. It's free time, and all of us Anubis House members are dispersed on various pieces of furniture throughout the room, chatting or attempting to study for tomorrow's biology exam. I catch myself staring at Mara, again, and quickly look away.

"N-no, nothing. I should be going," I quickly jump up and make a getaway towards the room I share with Alfie.

I can hear Mick whisper "Excuse me, Babes," to Mara as he gently gets up from the couch and hurries to catch up with me.

"Y'know, it kinda looked like you were staring at my girl back there."

I stop in my tracks and let out a fake amused laugh. "Me? What, do you think I have a crush on _Mara_ or something? You have _got_ to be joking!"

Mick relaxes a little. "Good. Remember, she's mine."

I hurry into the bedroom, close the door, and fall back onto my unmade bed. I know Mara is Mick's girlfriend. I have to let her go. But the only problem is, my heart just won't let me.


	2. Chapter 2: Too Rotten to Love

_Chapter 2: Too Rotten To Love_

_Jerome's POV:_

Days have gone by, but my feelings haven't changed. In fact, I think my feelings have only grown stronger. Every time I see Mara with Mick, a little piece of me dies inside.

Ugh. I am so lame.

_Mara's POV:_

Today it's been exactly 3 months since I started dating Mick. I'm totally thrilled. Well, for the most part.

Amber, however, is anything but happy for me.

I enter my room and find Amber sitting at the dresser, straightening her hair.

"Umm.. hello, Amber. What are you doing in here?"

Amber gives me a rude glare through the mirror. "My straightener broke so I'm borrowing Patricia's, if that's okay with you," she says in a snotty voice.

"Amber, you seem rather tense lately. Is something the matter?"

Amber turns to face me. "I'll tell you what's the matter. You! You think you can just come waltzing in and steal Mick right out from under me, and I'm just too stupid to care. Well, guess what? I have feelings too! And I can't stand seeing you with Mick. I love him!"

I sigh. I knew this would happen as soon as I agreed to be Mick's girlfriend. But something inside me just didn't care. "Look, Amber, Mick broke up with you because _you _never paid attention to him. And plus, _he_ asked _me_ out, not the other way around. Sorry, but you can't honestly expect me to break up with him."

"But Mara, you don't even _love_ him!" Amber objects.

My mind reels. Of course I love him, don't I? "I do so!"

Amber shakes her head. "I can see it in your eyes. You love Jerome."

I gasp, and my head spins a hundred miles an hour. Yes, I admit I had some feelings for Jerome ever since he confided his secret past to me a while ago. But how would she know that? And I don't _still_ have those feelings for Jerome, right? Of course not… "No way. He's too much of a jerk. I could never be with someone like that," I defend myself.

"Whatever. But I _will_ get Mick back. Don't worry." And with that, Amber gets up and opens the door, slamming it shut behind her.

_Jerome's POV:_

I quickly run downstairs as I hear Amber's heels clicking on the hardwood floor as she steps out of Mara's room. I rush to my room and slam the door shut. I don't want them to know I was evesdropping. But I heard everything she said.

And it broke my heart.

"I knew it. I was right. I _am _too rotten to Mara to ever love me." Tears sting my eyes as I fall onto the bed and sob.

I am such a rotten person. I'm so sorry, Mara.


	3. Chapter 3: The Dream

**Thanks so much for all the positive reviews, guys! I know a lot of you have said that this story is pretty mushy, especially coming from Jerome's perspective. I was reading over the story the other day, and I totally agree. Thanks for the feedback, and I'll definately work on making the story better! (as you can probably tell, I'm pretty new to fanfiction, so sorry if this story isn't the greatest!)**

**Chapter 3: The Dream**

**Jerome's POV:**

_We are walking to class when it happened. We are on the sidewalk, the road to our right, when a black Hundai sedan pulls up alongside us, driving slowly to match our pace. At first I think nothing of it, but my curiosity gets the better of me, and I look past Mara at the driver._

_Rufus._

_And he has a gun._

_Instinctively, I pull Mara to the ground, covering her body with mine. Rufus jumps out of the car and runs toward us._

"_Give me the girl," he yells._

"_Never!" I scream._

_Rufus bends down and slams the gun into the side of my head. I instantly roll over, unconscious. When I awaken, Mara is not beside me, and Rufus' sedan is gone._

_It all happened so fast. And I couldn't even save her._

I wake up to find myself sprawled out on my bed, drenched in sweat. It was all a dream.

Alfie is hovering over me. "Dude, are you okay?"

I wipe my forehead with the back of my hand and sit up. "Yeah, fine."

I dress quickly and take my time fixing my hair before running down to breakfast. Everyone is there except Mara.

"Where's Mara?" I ask, trying to act as disinterested as possible.

"She left early for a student government meeting," Nina informs me.

I sigh with relief. _It was only a dream_, I remind myself. It will never happen. Right?

**Mara's POV:**

As I walk down the sidewalk on my way to the meeting, I am thinking about what Amber said last night. She has something up her sleeve, I just know it.

I am so consentrated on this that I am completely unaware of a black Hundai sedan creeping along to a stop beside me.

Unaware of the blonde man with the piercing blue eyes that steps out of the car.

Unaware of reality as the man punches my skull hard enough to knock me unconscious.

**Jerome's POV:**

It is now 11 at night, and nobody has seen anything of Mara. It's a Friday night; she should be out with Mick. Well, in my opinion, she _shouldn't_ be with Mick, but that's where she _would_ be. If she was here.

**Mara's POV:**

I wake up lying on a cold concrete floor in a freezing, dark room, confused. Where am I?

I look down at my body, but there is no light. I run my fingers along my side and bring up a sticky dark substance. Blood. It trickles down my mouth, the side of my head, down my stomach and sides, and along my arms and legs. My shirt is inside out, and my shoes and socks have been removed. Basically, I'm surprised I'm even still alive.

A light flickers on and I find myself in what looks like an old wearhouse. I start to scream, but a large warm hand clamps down on my mouth, and I feel the cool blade of a knife on my neck.

"We're in the middle of nowhere, and no one will be able to hear you, so don't waste your breath. However, just to be safe, if you try that one more time, you're a dead girl. Got it?"

I nod, and he violently pulls the knife away from my throat.

"Wh-what do you want with me?" I cry.

"Not with you. With your friends. The ones who have something that belongs to me."

"What are you talking about?"

The man just smiles, and his piercing silver-blue eyes gleam.

He looks like pure evil.

**Jerome's POV:**

By 11:30, I am sincerely worried. So is everyone else, except Victor, of course, who is too busy talking to Corbiare (who talks to a stuffed bird anyways?) than actually doing his job and paying a smidge of attention to any of us. My worries are increasing, and by 11:47 I am downright terrified, because I just got a new text.

From Rufus.

"_Missing someone?"_

**Ooh, drama! (: Oh, by the way, if you have any ideas for this story, please feel free to PM me them! I have some of the story planned out, but I'm always open to suggestions!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Betrayal

**Chapter 4**

**Jerome's POV:**

Terror overtakes me, and I freeze in fear. Then, once I get my bearings, I jump off the couch and run to find Fabian and the others. We need to have a Sibuna meeting ASAP. We need to find Mara.

I run towards the room Fabian shares with Mick. "Fabian! Come quick!" I yell as I run through the hall. "I…" I throw open the door to his room, but it is not Fabian I see as I slowly lift my eyes to the bodies in front of me.

A guy's athletic form stands in front of a blonde girl, his body pushing hers against a wall. His hands grasp her face, and hers wrap around his shoulders. Their heads and lips move aggresively. It's Mick and Amber.

"Excuse me?" I yell, my eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Instantly, the two bodies break apart, and they stare back at me with the same look of disbelief. We're all too astonished to speak. Amber breaks the silence by running out of the room as quickly as her designer heels will allow, slamming the door loudly behind her.

I approuch Mick aggressively; he backs away until he is flat against the wall. Now, I'm not usually a physical kind of person, but boy, am I ticked! So I go with my first reaction: slamming my fist into the side of his face. Mick screams, holding his nose in pain.

"What is wrong with you?" I yell. "Are you really _that_ stupid?"

"It's not my…" Mick defends.

"I don't wanna hear it!" I interrupt. "Mara _loves_ you, don't you realize that? You had it all, man! And you cheated on her. What's worse, you cheated on her with that… that backstabbing flirt! You forget about your girlfriend the minute she's out of sight, and you're not even worried that she's just been kidnapped by a psycho killer!" I give him a frustrated shove and storm out before I kill him.

I rush to find Fabian. We have to find Mara.

**Mick's POV:**

It's not that I don't love Mara. I do. She's a great peson to talk to, she always listens, and she's really great at helping me with my grades. But Amber, she's… she's just so beautiful. And when we kiss, it just takes my breath away.

I've been so torn.

Today Amber came into my room crying, begging me to take her back. I didn't know what to do.

The kiss started with a friendly "I'm sorry" hug, but got more and moer aggressive until, before I knew it, we were pressed against the wall making out like we used to before the breakup. It felt like Mara didn't even exist.

It was just one time. No one had to know. But, of course, fate isn't kind, and Jerome _had_ to interrupt at the worst possible moment. And now, Mara will never forgive me.

**Jerome's POV:**

My heart beats loud and hard out of anger and fright as I run up the stairs to Nina's room. I knock on the door. "Nina! Fabian!" They don't answer, so I open the door. No one.

I run back down the stairs and find Alfie alone in the living room. "Alfie! Where's Nina and Fabian?"

"At the movies. Why do you…" But I grab a flashlight off the fireplace mantle and run out the front door before he can finish.

I run aimlessly down the sidewalk, then stop when I run out of breath. What's the point? There's no way I can possibly find her by myself.

I lean down, hands on my knees, to get a breath, when I see something glittering in the dim moonlight. I bend down and pick it up. It's a silver ID bracelet with one word carved into it: Mara. Mick gave this to her for her birthday, and she never once took it off. I turn it over in my hand. The clasp is broken, as if it was torn forcibly off her wrist. This is the place.

I shine my flashlight at the road beside me and see tire tracks in the mixture of gravel and mud made by the early spring rain showers. By the looks of the tracks, the car had to have been going at least 80 MPH. Maybe 90. Rufus.

I start following the tracks into the cool, dark night, not knowing where I am going or where I will end up. Oh well, that doesn't matter. The only important thing is finding Mara.


End file.
